


Parking Lot Casablanca

by RileySavage7



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-20 05:09:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19986628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RileySavage7/pseuds/RileySavage7
Summary: Socially awkward (and regular awkward) Tobin Heath thinks she's fallen in love - the only problem is the girl is Alex Morgan, the most popular girl on campus.





	Parking Lot Casablanca

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first time writing the USWNT and I'm a little nervous, but I just love this pairing so much.  
> Enjoy!

“I can’t believe I failed that Geography test!”, Tobin lamented as she and best friend Christen settled down on the neatly cut grass. They sat were they usually did lunchtimes – in the courtyard, away from the madness of the cafeteria.

“You don’t study. What did you expect?”, Christen remarked as she opened her lunch box.

“I have a lot of things going on, okay? The winter musical...”

“You’re an understudy”

“... debate team”

“They kicked you out last meeting, remember?”

Tobin rolled her eyes at the green eyed girl and rummaged through her backpack in search of a chocolate bar she still had in there.

“Here, my mom made muffins. She said ‘give one to that loud one who’s always talking’”.

“Did she really say that or are you just projecting?”, the Florida-born girl asked matter-of-factly, before grabbing the muffin and taking a huge bite.

“I might have paraphrased”, Christen said as a smile crept on her face.

“This is good. Man, I gotta visit your mom more”. Tobin stretched her arms and took in the panoramic view in front of her.

There were little groups of pupils all around. The Instagram models, the e-thots and the washouts were all baking in the sun

Sitting by the steps was Megan Rapinoe and the rest of the preps. They were too good to have lunch with the commoners in the cafeteria. In fact, they were probably too good to have lunch at all. Tobin can’t remember ever seeing any of them eat. Ever. Of course, in the shade of the old oak tree sat the school’s premier couple (that’s if you discount Sam and Rose and their on-again off-again, _Ross and_ _Rachel-esque_ relationship), Ali and Ashlyn. Tobin envied them.

“When are those two ever gonna break up?”, she asked with a mouth full of food.

“Who? Krashlyn? Never”, Christen said casually and took a sip from her water bottle.

“It just...”, Tobin shook her head. “...sucks that everyone has someone, except me”.

Christen nodded absentmindedly.

“Are you even listening to me?”, Tobin asked, irked by her best friend’s disinterest.

“Yes! Calm down. I’m just texting that guy I was telling you about”.

Tobin sighed, mentally preparing herself for the rant that was about to ensue, but her tirade would never come. She noticed something – someone - from the corner of her eye.

It was Alex Morgan, a girl well-known in and around school. Star athlete with a rich dad who funded half the biology labs. She was smart and obnoxiously tall and toned with piercing blue eyes.

It wasn’t like Tobin _didn’t_ know who she was. Tobin knew her... well, knew _of_ her. They’d never, in two years, said a word to each other. Alex was in with the sporty crowd. The Carli’s and Crystal’s of the school. The closest Tobin ever got to that crowd was when she was dating Jessica Ertz – head cheerleader and grade-A bitch.

But here, right now, Alex caught Tobin’s eye. She was dressed in soccer gear, her hair looked a mess, her face was all red and flushed and the winter sun had been shone on her sweaty skin and it made her glow like one of Stephanie Meyer’s vampires. And even in this state – even looking like she just ran a 1k, she was perfection. And Tobin would give everything up just to get closer to her.

Tobin knew she was out of Alex’s orbit. She needed to gravitate closer. She had to. Nothing and no one ever seemed so real and so illusory at the same time. It was like Alex was the answer to the questions Tobin never knew she had.

“I want her”, Tobin could hear herself say... or maybe it was in her head. She wasn’t sure.

“Who?”, Christen asked curiously, looking in all directions.

“Over there”, Tobin said softly, nodding in Alex’s direction.

“Alex Morgan?”, Christen asked with eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Since when?”

Tobin shrugged slightly. “Since right now”.

“That’s... strange”, Christen said and let out a disbelieving chuckle. “You’ve never been interested in Alex Morgan”.

“Uh-huh”, Tobin agreed and got up from the grass. “I’m gonna go talk to her”. She dusted herself off and turned to Christen. “Do I look okay?”

The other girl got up from the ground, too. “You’re really doing this?”

“Yeah, I mean, worst thing she could do is say no, right?”

“I sup...”

“Fingers crossed that doesn’t happen”. Tobin gave Christen a thumbs-up and briskly walked over to the school’s main gate, where Alex was waiting for her ride to pick her up. The closer Tobin got to the raven haired girl, the hotter it got. So much so, the tanned teen rolled up the sleeves of her hoodie and took off the beanie she’d been wearing.

Alex was seated on the last of the steps, head down and listening to music over her headphones. Tobin decided to just sit down next to her. Tapping her on the shoulder might startle her.

The brunette haired girl scooted closer, nudging Alex’s knee with her own. The dark haired girl looked up, her facial expression giving away just how confused she was.

Tobin waved, awkwardly stopping when she notices Alex’s lack of response.

The blue-eyed girl took off her headphones and stared at Tobin, saying nothing.

The tanned teen swallowed deep. “Hi”, she managed to say.

“Hi”.

Alex was still confused by what was happening. She was unsure why Tobin Heath was talking to her.

“I just... I saw you and... I wanted to say ‘hi’”, Tobin said, giving a sincere smile that threw Alex completely off-guard.

“Oh”, she said softly. “Hi then”, she added.

“I’m Tobin... We have English together... or we did, before you left for AP”.

Alex gave a quick nod. “Yeah, most of my classes are AP now, but I see you in Geography sometimes”.

Tobin grinned at the fact that Alex had seen her before and had even remembered where. The student body wasn’t big, but there were still about twenty students in a class and for Alex Morgan to remember her was kind of amazing.

“I usually sit at the back, by the windows – best location for daydreaming”, Tobin said, smiling in an attempt to get Alex to relax. She could tell the raven haired girl was tense, although she didn’t know why.

“Sometimes I...”, Alex looked to her feet, mauling over what to say next. Whether or not to admit she often found herself staring at the brunette - being fascinated by her. “...see you staring out the window and then I wonder what you see”. She looked up and found Tobin’s whiskey eyes fixed on her. The intensity was too much and she looks away again.

“Mostly grass, trees and the occasional squirrel”, Tobin said with a shrug.

Alex’s lips quirked up in a smile. “I’m Alex, by the way”.

Tobin nodded. “I know – everyone knows you”.

The other girl frowned, but said nothing.

“I mean, just... when I first moved here two years ago and Christen was giving me a tour of the school and the cliques _a la_ Mean Girls – she said you’re like, the star athlete and that everyone thinks you’ll be an Olympian one day. Ever since then...” Tobin bit at her lower lip. “...I guess I just remembered you”.

Alex’s face remained expressionless.

Tobin was about to say something else, but a black car pulled up in front of the school. Alex grabbed her bag from beside her and got up to leave. “That’s my ride. See you around”, she said hurriedly and made her way to the car.

“Wait!”, Tobin called out, catching up the taller girl. Alex turns around with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes?”, she asked curtly.

“I, um, I guess I wanted to ask you... you know... if you wanted to go out with me”, Tobin managed to get out without stumbling over her words too much.

Alex frowned, giving the shorter girl a once over. “Not interested. Sorry”.

“W-why not? Are you... straight?”, Tobin asked, whispering the last word as if it was some curse that should never be said aloud.

“No, but I don’t feel like going out with someone who claims they know me, when they know nothing about me”. Alex sighed. “I really have to go”.

Tobin watched Alex get into the car and leave. And if it had been any other girl; she would have let up, would have decided that said girl was being a primadonna and moved on. But this was different. And Alex was right – Tobin didn’t really know her... not yet, anyway.

-

“So?”, Christen asked as the brunette joined her in walking to their second to last class of the day, History.

“So what?”, Tobin asked absentmindedly, thinking about ways to get closer to Alex.

“How did it go with Alex Morgan?”

“It didn’t”, Tobin said curtly. “But...”, she added, “...I’ll win her over”, smiling broadly.

-

Alex found herself scribbling ‘Tobin’ in the back of her calculus book during class. She was also asked a question, which she got wrong.

“Alex, I know you’re training a lot, but you also have to keep up that 4.0 GPA”, Mrs Ellis, her calculus teacher said after class.

“Yes, ma’am. It won’t happen again”, Alex answered meekly and excused herself. Her next class was be Geography and she knew who she would see there.

Walking into class, Alex’s eyes wandered slightly to see if Tobin was already seated. Her question was answered when she saw the bright orange snapback worn backwards on brunette locks in the corner. Alex then settled into her seat, feeling oddly flustered.

As Miss James, the Geography teacher began the day’s lesson, the dark haired girl shifted in her seat and fiddled with her pen so much it fell out of her hand and rolled to under her friend Carli’s desk. The curly haired girl picked it up and handed it over to Alex, giving her a baffled look.

Alex mouthed ‘thanks’, and took the pen from her friend. She was just about to calm herself down, when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

It was Steph, basketball team captain. He was sitting behind her. She turned and found that he had a note in his hand.

“Came from the back. Dunno who wrote it, but it’s for you”, he whispered.

“Thanks”, Alex whispered back. She grabbed the note and turned back around. She was certain she knew who it was from, but she wasn’t sure what it would say. She slowly opened it.

_Hi._

_Sorry about yesterday. I was kind of incredibly stupid. Of course I don’t know you, but I want to._

_Go out with me this Saturday._

_T.H_

Alex could feel her heart pounding against her chest and she wished she knew what that meant. She scanned over the note again.

“Miss Morgan! I see you’re not paying attention... What’s the matter? Not interested in learning about topographical maps?”, Miss James asked.

“Uh, no... I mean... I am, ma’am... I was just...”

“You were just playing pass the note around with another student”, Miss James held, sauntering over to Alex’s desk. “And I suppose you and whomever you’re conversing with won’t mind me sharing with the class?”

There were some muffled giggles and ‘oh damns’ emanating from the class, but Miss James didn’t pay attention to that.

“Now... let’s see what’s so important that my prized student isn’t even listening to me today”. James tugged the note from Alex’s hand. Her eyes moved over the piece of paper a few times and a small smile formed on her lips. “I stand corrected, dear , you were simply taking notes from my lesson... I apologize”.

“It’s all good, miss James”, Alex said with a plastered on smile.

The class continued without a hitch – that is until James explains that there will be an assignment issued that counts thirty percent towards the final mark. She also states that everyone needs to be partnered up.

“Now – because choosing your own partners almost always leads to two friends goofing off rather than putting effort into these things – I’ve decided that I will be choosing your partners for you”.

There were audible groans and grunts coming from the class.

“Yeah, yeah. Deal with it”. James said and checked a class register. She pairs up a few students and then looked up from her register. “Miss Heath... and Miss Morgan... you two would make for an interesting team”, she said with a wide grin.

Alex almost automatically turns to Tobin, who was just as surprised as the raven haired girl.

After class, Tobin waits for Alex by the door, who decides to ignore her and walk passed her like she wasn’t there.

“Wait... Alex – can we talk?”, Tobin called out. She caught up to her leggy classmate.

“You know why James paired us, right? Cos of your stupid note. She must have figured out it came from you”, Alex said, sounding about as frustrated as humanly possible.

“It’s not that bad, now we kinda have to spend time together”, Tobin joked.

“What do you want from me, huh? What is this?”, Alex asked, looking around to see if anyone was paying any attention to them.

“I just want to... spend time with you. Get to know you. That’s it”. Tobin gave half a smile. “I think you’re quite fascinating”.

Alex crossed her arms in defiance, but smiled despite herself. It quickly disappeared though. “So... you wanna take me out? Like, on a date?”

“Yeah – I do”, Tobin said softly, trailing a finger along the raven haired girl’s forearm.

“Alright”, Alex said after a few seconds of silence. “You can take me out this Friday”.

“Really?”, Tobin asked, unsure if this was real or not.

“Yes”, Alex said in a slightly exasperated tone. She took the pen that had been in her back pocket and grabbed Tobin’s hand. They both ignore the feeling of electricity racing through their bodies as they touch for the first time. Alex started writing her number on the brunette’s hand.

“Text me”, she says once she’s done.

-

“I’ll be working late shift this weekend, hon, I won’t be here at night so if you wanna do something fun – we have to make it a day trip”, Tobin’s mom said as she dished out dinner for the two of them.

“We can go to the record store on Saturday”, Tobin said casually and took a sip of apple juice.

“That’s only fun for you”, her mother reasoned. “We could go see a movie or go apple picking”.

Tobin shrugged. “Anything is fine”. She dug a fork into the chicken pie. “Oh, I’m going out on Friday”, she mentioned and started eating.

“With Christen and them?”, her mother asked.

“No...like, on a date”.

“Oh Jesus, better not be with that Jessica again... that girl ruffles my feathers, Toodle, I’m sorry, but I don’t like her”.

Tobin rolled her eyes at her mother, but couldn’t help laughing at the perilous expression on her mom’s face. “No... not with her. With someone else. Her name’s Alex”.

“Alex?”, her mom said and took a bite of chicken pie.

Tobin nodded distractedly. “She’s like...school royalty. She’s really smart and she’s also the star soccer player. She’s the reason the girls’ soccer team is undefeated for two seasons straight”.

“She sounds like quite a catch,”. Tobin’s mom noticed her daughter all but beaming. “You need cash for the date?”, she asked.

Tobin shook her head. “I’m good. I still have some of my gardening money. Plus, I won’t be needing a lot of cash for the date I’m planning”. Tobin took a sip of juice and explained. “I figured Alex’s been on loads dates with people who can buy her nice things and take her to fancy places. I wanna stand out – if I have any shot with her I gotta make her see that I’m not like everyone else”.

Tobin’s mom nodded. “That’s right, sweetie. Just be yourself and I’m sure she’ll have a good time”.

-

Tobin asked if she could pick Alex up, but the raven haired insisted that she’d meet Tobin by the Cineplex in midtown.

The brunette stood waiting for Alex to make her appearance and after ten minutes she thought she had been stood up. She sat down on one of the benches in front of the building, hunched over and trying to convince herself that Alex not showing up might be a blessing in...

“Tobin?”, a familiar raspy voice asked, which prompted the Floridian girl to lift her gaze. Alex _did_ show. And she looked incredibly hot in her all black outfit – her halter-neck crop top especially grabbing Tobin’s attention.

“Oh , Alex, hi... I thought... I thought you might not come”, Tobin admitted, getting up from the bench.

“I wouldn’t do that”, Alex said, her eyebrows knitting together in a frown.

“Of course not – I was just paranoid because I still can’t believe you said yes”. Tobin held out her hand for Alex to take. The dark haired girl glanced over at Tobin’s outstretched hand and linked their pinkies together instead.

“So what movie are we seeing?”, Alex asked.

“Actually... We’re not going to the cinema”, Tobin said and gave a mischievous smile.

“But I thought you said...”

“Rule number one when it comes to me... expect the unexpected”, Tobin said as she led Alex passed the cinema and down the street, back to her mom’s car.

-

They reached the bodega on the peripheral of the town centre and Tobin parked in the parking lot of the gas station adjacent to the bodega.

“Is this where you murder me?”, Alex asked with a dead-pan expression.

“This is where I make you fall in love with me. Come on”. Tobin got out of the car and retrieved her backpack from the backseat. “This is the best place to stargaze... because it’s like, on a higher level than the rest of the town”.

“Wow... I can’t believe you’re my geography partner”, Alex said and gave a bemused chuckle.

Tobin had seated herself down on the curb, overlooking the distant lights of the neighbouring town. In front of them was grass and further down you could see the trees that made up the forest that separated the two towns.

“Everything looks smaller from up here”, Alex noted, turning so she could look at her companion.

“Yeah... it’s like when you’re a kid and the mall downtown is like, the biggest place ever”, Tobin said.

“And then you turn 15 and you’re like ‘God, we need new stores in this place’”, Alex completed her sentence.

“Exactly!” Tobin smiled and unzipped her backpack, taking out a blanket which she sprawled on the grass in front of them. “Be right back”, she said and made her way to the car, coming back half a minute later with a picnic basket.

She placed the basket on the blanket, took her laptop from the backpack and patted on the other side, inviting Alex to join her – which the raven haired girl does.

“So, I didn’t know what you liked and I ended up buying like, really random stuff”. Tobin opened the basket, revealing some of its contents. “Guacamole, because who doesn’t like avocados? I got Oreos- classic- and milk, obviously”. She rummaged through the basket and brought forth a box of chocolate. “And these are for you”.

Alex inspected the box of candy and gave an apologetic smile. “Tobin... Coach has on a very strict diet – I actually can’t have any of this”.

“Oh”, Tobin said, scratching at the back of her neck. “I’m sorry, Alex. I probably should’ve asked you first if...”

“I’m messing with you”, Alex said with a giggle and gave Tobin a little shove. “You’re not the only one with jokes”.

Tobin rolled her eyes and handed Alex the chocolates. “Can we get serious for a minute, though?”, the shorter girl asked.

A closed lip smile spread across Alex’s face. She gave a dutiful nod. Something about Tobin’s presence puts her at ease. She can’t quite explain; it just felt like this was where she belonged. That’s why she’s not saying anything – she might say something completely corny and scare Tobin off.

“We are about to watch the most romantic movie ever. Under the stars, over-looking our little sleepy town. You’re gonna rest your head on my chest. At some point I’m probably gonna smell your hair and kiss your forehead because I am a weirdo”, Tobin stops when Alex chuckles softly. “By the end of this date, you’re gonna wanna have my babies – please, we’re still in high school. Contain your thirst”.

“You’re full of shit... Has anyone ever told you that?”, Alex asked, raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow.

Tobin smiles and Alex’s heart doubles in size.

“I’m just warning you”, Tobin said, shrugging. She leaned over and pressed play. The opening scenes of Casablanca appear on the screen.

“I think this is gonna be the beginning of a beautiful friendship”, the tanned brunette whispered softly as she feels Alex’s body shifty closer to hers.


End file.
